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Playoff chances: Bruins barely survive road trip, Sharks floundering

Kyle Terada / USA TODAY Sports

With one week to go to the NHL's trade deadline, as many as 22 teams have at least a five percent chance of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with another a shade below.

This information is gathered by collecting past results, then generating random scores for each remaining game weighted by the scheduled opponents' records and home-ice advantage - meaning the better team is more likely to be credited with the win.

Here's a look at the playoff chances for each of those 23 clubs, divided by conference.

Eastern Conference

Team Playoff chances
NY Rangers 100
Montreal 100
Tampa Bay 99.9
NY Islanders 99.9
Detroit 99.9
Pittsburgh 99.9
Washington 99.6
Boston 69.7
Florida 13.3
Ottawa 8.4
Philadelphia 8.1

As has been the case for the past month or so, the top seven teams in the Eastern are virtual locks for the postseason. And while the Boston Bruins remain fairly good bets to make it, a few teams are trying to make things interesting.

While the Bruins were in the midst of a 1-2-2 western road trip, the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers made up some important ground, drawing closer and a raising their chances in the process.

If, as is reported, David Krejci misses significant time, the gap between seven and eight-through-ten in the Eastern Conference could continue to narrow significantly.

How these teams treat the trade deadline will be telling in terms of how they view their playoff chances.

Western Conference

Team Playoff chances
Nashville 100
St. Louis 99.9
Anaheim 99.8
Chicago 98.6
Vancouver 93.3
Los Angeles 76.9
Minnesota 69.2
Calgary 67.5
Winnipeg 51.8
San Jose 33
Colorado 5.1
Dallas 4.8

Long relegated outside the top eight, the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild have climbed back into the playoff field, and - barring significant injuries or regression - both clubs appear well on their way to making good on postseason expectations and aspirations.

Conversely, the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks have fallen off a touch; the former remains locked in at wild card, while the latter - as well as the Calgary Flames - trail by three points.

The Sharks, in particular, are struggling mightily, posting a record of 3-6-2 in February, including a pivotal loss to the rival Kings in a Stadium Series game on Saturday. As a result, they appear to be in real danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

Further down, and barring a miracle, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars seem unlikely to play more than 82 games.

- With h/t to Sports Club Stats

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